


Arrows and gunshots

by smile_it_will_get_better



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 2 AM Conversations, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Clint Barton & Tony Stark Friendship, Clint Barton Feels, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Phil Coulson lives, Phil is not dead, Secret Marriage, Secret Relationship, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, clint just misses his husband, everyone just thinks he is, phil and clint are adorable, tony is Trying His Best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 13:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15462867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smile_it_will_get_better/pseuds/smile_it_will_get_better
Summary: Tony decided that he should start a club. Maybe he’d call it the “2am Therapy for idiot’s club”.Tony always thought that he was the only one in the tower with a fucked-up sleep schedule, but then again he was surrounded by weirdos so why was he even surprised? His little 2am adventures used to be done alone, in the large empty tower with no one to see him. Now he found himself sometimes crossing paths with the occupants of the tower, and every time it weirded him out. He’d seen Steve many times around, Bruce was always in his lab at any hour of the day, Natasha was just Natasha, and Thor only slept when convenient. (He also slept naked and absolutely everywhere. Not that Tony noticed or anything.)The one-person Tony had never met on his 2am travels was Clint. Tony just assumed that the spy was very good at keeping hidden, or he had an actual normal sleep schedule. He did seem the most normal out of them all, on a good day of course. So, to say Tony was surprised to see the archer out late was an understatement.





	Arrows and gunshots

**Author's Note:**

> I think I might make this a series. "Tony deals with his teammates angsty love life." This one is similar to my other one when Steve talks to Tony about Bucky. But instead we have another one of my OTP having relationship troubles. But I won't give much away, other than Clint and Phil deserve a break. 
> 
> Also, I really am bad at writing Tony, so apologizes in advance. 
> 
> Anyways, this will have two chapter and I really hope y'all enjoy!

Tony decided that he should start a club. Maybe he’d call it the “2am Therapy for idiot’s club”.

Tony always thought that he was the only one in the tower with a fucked-up sleep schedule, but then again he was surrounded by weirdos so why was he even surprised? His little 2am adventures used to be done alone, in the large empty tower with no one to see him. Now he found himself sometimes crossing paths with the occupants of the tower, and every time it weirded him out. He’d seen Steve many times around, Bruce was always in his lab at any hour of the day, Natasha was just Natasha, and Thor only slept when convenient. (He also slept naked and absolutely everywhere. Not that Tony noticed or anything.)

The one-person Tony had never met on his 2am travels was Clint. Tony just assumed that the spy was very good at keeping hidden, or he had an actual normal sleep schedule. He did seem the most normal out of them all on a good day. So, to say Tony was surprised to see the archer out late was an understatement. 

He was just in the kitchen, eating Garlic bread because he’s 42 goddamn years old and can do what he wanted. But he was just walking around, eating his garlic bread when he looked out of the window and saw his fellow Avenger.

“Hey J.A.R.V.I.S,” Tony said, squinting into the dark to be sure it wasn’t just some crazy robber who scaled the building. “Is Clint outside?”

“Yes sir, Clint is currently sitting outside. May I suggest maybe some warm clothes and a blanket for him? It is currently 23 degrees out and raining.” JARVIS said calmly, and Tony sighed. Of course, the bird brain had to decide to be as crazy as the rest of them tonight. And Tony was enjoying his Garlic Bread too, now he had to put it down. God damn it Clint, why couldn’t at least one of them be normal?

Tony quickly grabbed an umbrella and opened the door, shivering from the cold wind. The rain was pounding down on the roof, and the idiot was wearing a goddamn tee-shirt and jeans. No coat, no sweater, no umbrella. Tony debated hiring a babysitter to make sure the team took care of themselves and made good decisions. He stored that idea away for later consulting because he might actually need that.

“Hey bird brain, it freezing out here. Get your ass inside.” Tony called out when he was within ten feet of him. He hoped the man had his hearing aids in, it was way to dark to sign out here. Clint was perched on the very edge of the roof and it was giving Tony anxiety. The fool might slip on the wet surface or lose his balance and fall to his death. The arched wasn’t superhuman, he didn’t have a suit that could help him fly before he hit the ground. The idiot would fall to his death if he wasn’t careful. Why did it seem like Tony was the only one with common sense in this tower? He made horrible decisions daily. 

“I’m fine.” Clint said in reply, his voice so soft Tony almost didn’t hear it in the rain. The man fiddled with something in his hands, but it was too dark for tony to make out what it was. Tony sighed, because of course the archer decided to be a pouty litter stubborn bastard tonight. It was too late to deal with moody assassins. He weighed his options mostly on how much Natasha would kill him if he left Clint out here. 

“I’ll make you hot chocolate?” Tony tried, going for the classic bribery of treats. Clint didn’t respond. Tony briefly entertained the idea of offering the garlic bread but that was his and no one else. He wasn’t giving that up anytime soon. “Come on man, I never offer to make hot chocolate. And I have a special recipe that I never share. Best thing you’ve ever tasted.”

Clint shifted to look over at him, and Tony was annoyed at how dark it was. It was impossible to look at the mans face to determine what he was thinking. Clint could be entertaining the idea of pushing Tony off of the building right now. And tony would never know. 

Clint sighed before standing up and jumping off the balcony, doing a flip that made Tony’s heart stop before the man landed beside of him. “It better be some good damn hot chocolate.” Clint said before walking inside. 

Great, now Tony actually had to make hot chocolate. He hoped the man like wiped cream because that’s what’s going to be the main ingredient. 

Tony trudged into the room and almost felt bad when he saw the soaked Assassin. The poor dude was soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his forehead and anything. He looked like a pitiful drowned rat. 

Tony sighed and pulled off his super warm sweatshirt and tossed it to the man who grabbed it and looked at it puzzled. Tony wandered over to the corner where he continently kept a pair of sweatpants, you never know when you had to change on the go. He had clothes hidden everywhere in this house.

“Put those on and sit your ass down. I’ll be back in a minute.” He said as he walked into the kitchen. He rummaged around the cupboards and pulled out the milk, carefully warming it on the stove and tossing some chunks of chocolate in. He sprinkled a bit of nutmeg in and waited for it to come together. He poured the liquid into the cup and then filled it up so high with whipped cream it looked like the tower of Pisa. 

Tony grabbed the two mugs of hot chocolate and brought it back out to the living room, honestly surprised to see Clint still there. He half expected the archer to slink off to his room or somewhere else while Tony was gone. But he sat on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and holding what appeared to be a small brown box. 

Tony set down the mug and Clint muttered his thanks. Stealing a glance at the box, Tony couldn’t see what was so special about it. It was just a simple wooden box, not too large but not too small either. It was soaking wet and Clint stared at it as it was a kicked puppy. 

Tony sighed and sat opposite of the assassin, he wasn’t going to initiate this conversation. He eyed the abandoned piece of garlic bread near the door and briefly wondered if it would be an inappropriate time to go and get it. 

“Thanks for bringing me hot chocolate and a new change of clothes Tony, I think I’m going to go up to bed now.” Clint said softly, making as if he was going to leave. 

“Nope.” Tony said, glaring him down until he collapsed back into the couch. “I dragged your sorry ass in here and made you my hot chocolate. I think you at least owe me the curtesy to drink the fucking drink.” 

Clint sighed but picked the cup up, looking at it oddly before taking a sip. His apprehensive looked turned into a faint smile as he sipped at it. 

“It doesn’t taste like shit. So, its much better than I was expecting.” Clint said jokingly, but Tony could tell his heart wasn’t behind it. 

“What’s wrong birdbrain?” Tony asked softly, ignoring all the social cues and personal boundary and stupid stuff like that. The half smile of Clint’s lips fell, and he looked so lost and sad for a moment before a mask slipped into place. 

“I’m fine Tony. Nothings wrong.” Clint replied, placing the cup down and looking like he wanted to leave again. 

“Bullshit.” Tony said, and Clint froze again, his eyes narrowing. “If you’re so ‘fine’ then explain to me why you are sitting outside in the freezing cold rain for god knows how long moping around with some weird wooden box.” Tony pointed out, crossing his arms. 

“it’s none of your business.” Clint said and Tony briefly entertained the idea of letting it go because the man looked ready to shove an arrow into his eye. Then he decided that it was 2am and he really didn’t give a fuck.

“I just saved you from either falling off that building or getting a cold, gave you my secret pair of sweatpants, and made you my homemade hot chocolate. You owe me an excuse, I almost had a heart attack when I saw you out there.” Tony said, letting a tiny bit of the worry he felt seep into the words. He saw Clint soften slightly before the man practically collapsed. All the stiff muscles and tensed limbs released and he shrunk back into eh couch, looking tired and worn out. 

“Do you remember when Loki attacked?” Tony didn’t even bother answering that one. The thought of the attack sent shivers down his spine and made his throat close up so he pushed those thoughts away and focused back on the conversation. “My husband was murdered in that attack.” Clint said suddenly, causing Tony to choke on his drink and look up. Clint was married? To a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent too? Why wasn't he informed of this? He couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed that his teammate kept something that big from him.

“I'm sorry.” Tony found himself saying because it seemed like the right thing to do. And it was the only thing he could think of to say.

“It's our 5-year anniversary today. And I just couldn't sleep properly. I kept thinking about him and suddenly I just needed an escape. The roof seemed like a good idea at the time. The rain came after that.” Clint shrugged as if him saying that he was so depressed he felt the need to escape reality was just another day in the office.

“What was his name?” Tony asked softly, and he briefly wondered who was impactful enough to break past the archer’s walls. Because in the past few months Tony had realized that this man had major trust issues, some even larger than his. 

Clint’s lips curled up into a cruel parody of a smile. “I think you knew him. His name was Phil Coulson.”

Tony blinked. Did he hear that right? Was Phil I-never-smile-and-live-in-a-suit Coulson married to Clint I’m-the-walking-definition-of-a-disaster Barton?

He guessed that weirder things had happened before. But still, that was just weird. 

“Don't take any offense, but I didn’t see you two as a couple. How did that happen?” The words slipped out of Tony's mouth before he could realized just how offensive they were. Luckily Clint just laughed softly.

“He saved my life a few times. The first and only person I truly trust with my life. I guess I kind of just fell for him along the way. But I get what you mean, we seem like a bit of an unlikely couple. I'm a hot mess and he’s the most organized and put together man I knew.” Clint’s eyes glazed over as if he was imagining better times. “You probably knew him as a stuck up unsmiling pencil pusher. Knowing the both of you, you two probably didn’t get along that well. 

“We had out small disagreements. But he was a good man.” Tony said softly, a tiny bit confused. He'd never seen Clint like this, so talkative, so open. It scared him a bit, this must be a really hard day for him. He also didn’t want to tell the man about the feud the two had before the man tragically died. Then they saved the world in his name and all of that but that’s old news. Tony decided to lighten the mood a bit. “Tell me, does he really always wear a suit?” 

Clint full out laughed at that, moving his hand to cover his mouth instantly as the brief moment of happiness got washed away by sadness. 

“I've seen that man do everything in a suit. He had seven suits and wore a different one every day. I think I almost fainted the first time I saw him in Jean's and a tee shirt. I almost didn’t recognize him.” Clint said, a small smile gracing his lips. Tony wondered for a moment of Clint even remembered he was there. 

“But Phil was my everything. He was the one I turned to for everything, and I would have done anything for him.” him Clint suddenly looked up, the look of pure dire fire inside of his eyes made Tony shiver. “If he told me to cut out my heart I would have served it to him on a silver platter. It killed me you keep our relationship a secret. I wanted everyone to know he was mine and I was his. But it was dangerous. We didn’t know how the others would react.”

Tony clocked his head slightly to the side, furrowing his brow. “Clint. Who knows about your relationship with Phil?” he asked slowly, a small amount of horror sneaking up in him.

Clint shrugged noncommittally. “Phil, me, the Pastor who married us and a stranger named Melissa who we pulled off the streets to be a witness.” Clint smiled without humor. “And now you too.”

Tony sighed placing his head in his hands. Of course, they wouldn't tell anyone, Tony vaguely remembered mentions of a cellist in Canada that Phil was dating. Obviously that was a big fat lie. 

“Not even Natasha knew? I find it hard to believe you guys could keep that a secret from her.” Tony asked, looking up again. Clint looked down.

“She suspected something but never asked. She respected our privacy and left it alone. I think she thought it was just an affair or something.” Clint scoffed at the thought, making Tony smile. “And as for the others, well Phil and I are, were, top secret special agents slash spy’s. We knew how to keep it a secret.” 

Clint blinked rapidly after he changed the tense, and Tony remembered that Clint was mourning. Phil had only been dead for a few months, but the man had no one to talk to. No one who understood. He had been suffering in silence this whole time and that was not okay in Tony's book. 

“So why are you up so early on your anniversary. I would sleep the day away and pretend it never existed.”

Clint didn’t day anything for a long moment. Only strokes a thumb against the wooden box he still held. 

“5 years ago, today I woke up randomly at 12 am and woke Phil up. I asked him to marry me as a spur of the moment thought at 12:05. So as revenge for waking him up to ask him something I easily could have waited to ask, he gets me up at midnight every year and we spend the entire day together. Or he used to.” Clint swallowed thickly. “I guess it was just a habit to wake up early today. And I turned to the side in my bed and almost expected Phil to be beside me. Grinning as he forced me to get up. I got overwhelmed and just found myself out in the rain. You found me after a few hours out there.”

Tony quietly pulled out a small bottle of whiskey from under the table, (It helped to have those suckers hidden everywhere. You never know when someone needs a drink) and poured some into Clint’s mug. Clint chuckled darkly before taking a long sip. 

“if it's not that much to ask, what's in the box?” Tony asked quietly, the curiosity finally getting the best of him. Now that he knew Clint’s dirty little secret, he wanted to know more. Needed to know more. 

Any humor or happiness inside of Clint drained out of him visibly. He slumped forward causing his still wet hair to flop over his face. 

Clint carefully opened the box and stared at it for a second, and Tony tried his best to look but still couldn't see inside. After a minute of drawn out silence and horrible waiting, Clint turned the box and placed it on the table for Tony to look at. 

Tony gabbed it and pulled it closer, holding it carefully because although the box felt sturdy he felt like it would break in his hands. The fact that Clint was trusting him with this, something so intimate and special made Tony scared. It made him feel like he was holding a baby puppy in his hand and he was holding a gun to its head and just hoping he didn’t press the trigger. 

He looked inside and gasped slightly. Inside were too titanium wedding bands on a silver chain. The bands themselves were simple enough, small bands with tiny strips of gold on the sides. Tony ghosted his fingers over the bands looking over to see a pair of dog tags beside it. Picking it up carefully he looked at the name. “Phil Coulson” was engraved in the side along with his service number and position. A small picture was lodged in the top, and Tony peeled it off and held it up. Phil and Clint stood side by side, both wearing crisp suits and Clint was wearing a small bunch of white flowers. Both were staring at each other and smiling softly. They looked so in love, and it hurt to see. Tony placed the photo back like it burned him. He felt like an intruder, an out looker gazing at something sacred, something special. 

He didn’t deserved this, he hadn’t done anything to deserve this gift. Clint was watching him carefully, nothing was being shown on his face. Tony closed the box and slid it back over to him, smiling carefully to hide the panic inside. Tony didn’t understand, why was Clint doing this? There had to be a motive, Clint hadn’t even told his super assassin best friend this. Why would he tell tony? 

“You have his dog tags, where are yours?” Tony blurted out, not knowing what else to say. He knew Clint was in the army for a while though, so he had to have his own set of dog tags. 

“There’s an old superstition about not being able to die when wearing others dog tags. Phil and I believed it, so I wore his and kept them in a safe place. He did the same with mine. So, either they’re on his, hid body or he hid it somewhere else. I didn’t go looking for them.” Clint replied quietly and Tony was able to read between the lines. Clint didn’t want to look for his own dog tags because he still somehow believed that maybe if he kept Phil’s instead of his own his husband would magically come back. 

Tony wished that was how it worked. Because after this unlikely look into Clint’s past, he wanted Phil to come back. He wanted to erase the hard lines around his friend’s eyes and Tony knew the only way to do that was by getting his husband back. But that was impossible. Loki took that happiness away from Clint, and Tony hated it. 

“Thank you Tony.” Clint said quietly. “It helps to have someone listen to you. Just, thank you.” Clint said before clearing his throat. He stood up and placed his empty cup down, avoiding Tony’s gaze. He grabbed the box back and made to leave.

“I’m going to go out for a while, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.” Clint moved silently to the door, pausing before he left. “Tell Natasha not to come after me. She’ll ty. But I just,” Clint laughed softly, placing his head on the door frame and clutching the box in his hands. “I just don’t really think being around people is going to be a good idea.” He whispered. 

Clint left, leaving Tony shell struck on the couch. He sat there for a good hour, savoring the silence and darkness that surrounded him. He slowly got up and placed both their cups in the sink before walking to his lab.

He stood in front of the locked doors for a moment, looking at it but not entering. He eventually turned around and went back to bed. 

And if he held Pepper a little tighter that night while he slept, well that’s no one else’s business. 

______________________

 

Clint found himself on top of another roof for some reason.

He crouched on the top and looked down over New York, not at all scared about the fact that he was currently sitting around 300 feet above the ground. Cars rushed down bellow him, unaware about the fact that the world stopped turning months ago.

Clint pretended he was fine, but tonight he was not fine. He was drowning in grief and sorrow and he had to hide it from the world and it fucking sucked. It sucked because he missed his husband. 

He missed waking up next to Phil and seeing the sun glowing over the mans face. He missed being able to laugh and dance around the kitchen while the man attempted to do paperwork at the counter. He missed singing obnoxiously loud in the showers and hearing Phil yell at him to just shut up. He missed working beside him and being able to completely trust everything he said. He missed seeing Phil’s smile, the way his eyes softened when looking at Clint and Natasha, the way he ran his hands through his hair when he was stressed. 

He just missed his god damn husband. 

He clutched the box closer to him, fisting the chain that held their wedding bands in his hand. The two of them only wore the rings when they were together, because they had to keep their marriage a secret. He hated keeping it a secret then and he still hated it now. He wanted to hold Phil’s in the street, kiss his cheek as they passed in the hall. He wanted to be Phil’s husband. 

And now Phil was dead, and as much as Natasha denied it, it was Clint’s fault. He gave Loki all the information and practically let him waltz inside and kill him. Phil was dead because Clint was an idiot and let himself get compromised. And Clint was drowning in the fact. It surrounded him and droned out every other thought, it swallowed him whole and made him choke. 

The only time he could ignore the pain inside was when he fighting people, every time he felt his bow in his hand and shot away his fears. He went to the range daily and practiced until his fingers were so blooded and sore he couldn’t pick anything up for days. He stayed there until the target blurred to a smear of nothing and he still fired, arrow after arrow until he could almost feel the ghost of Phil beside him, firing his gun in tune to him. Perfectly in sync like they always were. The two of them slotted together in perfect harmony. 

But now that harmony was lost, and the music that kept Clint’s life together screeched to a halt. 

Now everything in the world felt off, like it was missing something. There was a large Phil shaped hole in life and Clint hated it. 

Clint had mixed feelings over the little pow wow he just had with Tony. He woke up that night at 12:05 like every other year. He smiled and turned over, expecting to see Phil grinning at him before dragging him to his feet. But Phil wasn’t there, and the bed next to him was empty. 

He felt himself get hit by a wave of sadness and he found himself stumbling to his feet. Pulling on a pair of jeans and an old tee shirt of Phil’s that still magically smelt like him. He grabbed the box that held the last parts of Phil he owned. He wandered around the tower for a while before finding himself on the roof. He walked to the edge and perched on the top the familiar stance calming him. He barely even noticed when it started to rain. He just sat there and watched the city that Phil died to keep alive. 

Tony came after an hour or so later, sounding worried but trying to mask it. Clint finally caved and followed Tony in, suddenly noticing how fucking cold he was. He was soaked to the bone and shivering like a pathetic dog. Tony shoved the clothes at him and Clint reluctantly put them on. 

Tony left to get him some hot chocolate and Clint almost left. He wanted to escape and run away but he found himself so tired. He wanted to sleep for a few hours and pretend that today meant nothing. That he didn’t exist and he didn’t kill his husband. 

He collapsed onto the couch and clutched onto the box, thinking that if he let go it and Phil would both flout away. 

Before he knew what he was doing he was spilling his guts to Tony. He kept his pain and love for Phil inside for so long it felt good to get rid of it. To let others shoulder the weight with him. He knew he shouldn’t, that it was unfair to put all of that onto Tony but he needed to. Then Tony got quiet and Clint realised how bad of idea it was. So he left. He ran like he always did. 

And now he was sitting on the roof wallowing in his misery. He tried to think about what he wanted to do for the day. He wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon, and he couldn’t got back to the tower. Maybe he would get his bow and spend the day at one of his private ranges. 

Maybe he would go to a bar and drink until he forgot his own name. But he would still remember Phil, because Phil was engrained in his blood. Clint’s entire being revolved around Phil. Phil who saved his life over and over again. Phil who was his crutch and who he could lean on anytime. Phil who he was completely honest with, Phil who he loved through and through no matter what.

Clint sobbed out loud and clamped a hand over his lips, ignoring the voice that sounded like Jacques that told him to not show emotion. To not show weakness. 

Clint swallowed and grabbed onto the box. Open it with shaking hands and slipped Phil’s dog tags over his neck and tucked them into his shirt over his heart. The cold metal shocked him but he didn’t shy away from it, the cold seeped into his skin and it felt right. It felt like home. 

Clint turned away from the edge and he walked down, disappearing into the night as he clutched Phil’s dog tags in his hand.

_________________________

Little did Clint and Tony know, Phil sat in his own small mattress in his small apartment. Clutching Clint’s dog tags in his hand as he also held back tears. 5 years and he wasn’t even allowed to go see his husband, he was confined to this stupid apartment with this team all because Fury thought it was the right decision. 

But Phil didn’t care about the team. Or the ‘greater good’ that Fury preached. He wanted his husband. 

He wanted to hear Clint’s sarcastic quips and cheesy pick up lines. He wanted to see Clint groan about getting up and dramatically state he was dying before he got his coffee. He wanted to see the way Clint’s eyes sparkled when he pulled a prank or told a joke that had even Phil’s lips twitching. He wanted to hold Clint in his arms and seep up the warmth the man offered. But he couldn’t because he was stuck int his dingy apartment room because no one knew they were married. 

He was pretty sure Fury still thought he was dating the cellist in Canada, and that was the stupidest alibi he ever made. A google search would prove that she wasn’t real. But no one thought of that. No one cared enough to look into Phil’s love life. Which was ironic because his love life was sitting in front of them every day. 

Phil went through his day and he missed Clint. He did his paperwork and missed Clint. He brushed his teeth and he missed Clint. He got dressed and he missed Clint. He went through every day and he missed Clint. 

Phil walked to the bathroom splashing a cold blast of water onto his face. He stared into the mirror and ignored the bags under his eyes. He woke up at the normal time today, which was way too early for anyone to be up in his opinion. He wondered if Clint was up at this time too, wondering where he was and what he was doing. Or was Clint still asleep, trying to pretend that today wasn’t today. Both seemed likely, but Phil knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anytime soon. 

Picking up his computer, he walked to his desk and browsed through some filed, catching up on the mountains of paperwork he missed while completing his last mission. 

After a few hours the phone rang, and Phil glared at it. Wondering if he should put in the effort to pick it up. Responsibility won out in the end. 

“Agent Phil Coulson. Who is this?” Phil asked, due to the fact that that all numbers were screened on his phone. 

“Phil it’s me.” Fury’s voice said over the phone with an urgency that Phil did not like.

“Director? I wasn’t expecting a call from you until at lest next week.” Phil said, trying to mask the relief he felt at hearing his friends voice. Fury had sent him on an undercover mission almost two months ago, only a few months after his recovery. The director agreed to check in every three weeks, sometimes four. Fury had only called two weeks ago, meaning this wasn’t a planned call. 

“I know Phil, but something has come up. We need to put an extraction in place and get you out of here. You and your team is needed elsewhere.” Fury said, leaving no room for argument. 

“But sir,” Phil decided to argue anyways. “we are ten times closer to finding out more information here, we are close to a breakthrough. It would be unproductive to pull us out now.”

“We are sending in another team to continue the investigation. I need you back here now. A team will start the extraction today. Have your team at the site around noon. They will fly you back to New York from there. Understood?”

Phil sighed, knowing that he had no other choice to agree. “Yes sir. We will be there. Might I ask why this is so important?”

Fury sighed. “There is a major player that we have rumors of. We have been tipped that HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.E.I.L.D. We need your team back here investigating.” 

Phil nodded even though he knew Fury couldn’t see him. “Understood sir. I will prepare my team.” He said before Fury hung up, the man never was one for pleasantries. 

Phil started packing up, looking at the clock to show he had around an hour before the others would awaken. He would alert them of the problem when they woke. For now, he would focus on the task at hand. He packed up all his information and then his weapons and clothes. If HYDRA really had compromised S.H.E.I.L.D, then they had a few options. If they could find the imposters and terminate them before they had a chance to take over, they might have a chance of doing this quickly and quietly. But if the infiltration was too big, or they couldn’t deal with it properly, there was a possibility that they would just have to take S.H.E.I.L.D out completely.

This job would be a big one, HYDRA was a large threat, one they had to stop at all odds. Phil wondered if the Avengers would have to get involved. He hoped they would, not because he wanted to see Clint again, nope. It’s just that the Avengers were a good team and their skills might help in the long run.

Phil guess he would find out tomorrow. He finished packing his stuff and restrained a smile, even if the Avengers weren’t involved, the chances of him seeing Clint were improved. The thought of even being in the same city as his husband was enlightening. Maybe Fury would allow him to contact him. He could see Natasha too, he wondered how she was doing. How the two of them were working in a team. 

Today was suppose to be a day of missing his husband, of wishing he could see him and hold him closer. A day where the ach of missing him would grow larger and larger. But now he was filled with hope, hope that maybe he could make everything okay again. 

Who knew what tomorrow would hold.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, we;l that was super sad and angsty. Just how I like it. There's nothing better than a character mourning a loved one that isn't really dead. Oh the dramatic irony.
> 
> If you're wondering how the two of them manged to keep their relationship secret for so long, join the club. To me they are still hiding it in the movies, and Clint's so dedicated to the ruse he even hired a family to pretend to be his. Hahahaha. I'm forever bitter at that story line but that's not important. For now let me just be happy with my Phil x Clint angst
> 
> Hopefully we can get that happy ending next chapter! I really love the thought of Tony being a lot more worried about his teammates than they give him credit for. Even if he's mostly exasperated by them. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed that and the next chapter will be up soon! Please feel free to comment down below because comments give me life and I love hearing from you guys :)
> 
> EDIT: I've decided to just keep this as a oneshot and keep the ending open. If they reunite or not is up to you! Sorry if this disappoints anyone.


End file.
